Ways in Which HR Can Play a Strategic Role Within an Organization

Human resources departments have become more important to many organizations from a strategic standpoint in the early 21st century. This is because of increased marketplace competition and the need to have well-skilled, fairly compensated and highly motivated workers. The economy has become more service-driven, which makes people critical to an organization's success. Human resources helps direct hiring, training and motivation processes within the workplace.

1.   Hiring for Fit

o    One of the main ways in which HR is integral to organizational strategy is in hiring the right employees. Hiring employees that are culturally and functionally the right fit for jobs is key to organizational production and performance. HR heads up job analysis and development of hiring processes and interview procedures. Finding employees that fit well within the culture and that are best equipped to perform their jobs significantly impacts the workplace.

Training

o    Training is another common element of human resources managed by HR. Training has become more strategically important as companies work to include diversity management and team-building as parts of their training processes. Additionally, HR should design initial training and orientation programs that help assimilate new hires into the workplace so they feel comfortable right away. This helps reduce turnover and increases the immediate level of performance of the employees.

Preventative Systems

o    Rene T. Domingo of the Asian Institute of Management indicated in an article, "The Strategic Role of HR," that a change in HR from its conventional role to a more strategic role is focused on preventative systems rather than punitive ones. This means proactively creating a work culture that values employees, protects against discrimination and offers the necessary training and resources to motivate employees to success. It also means rewarding employees for good work. These systems contradict punitive systems, which do not allow company leaders to deal with employee problems until they become an issue.

Performance and Metrics

o    Perhaps a main way in which HR more often plays a strategic role is in its formal alignment with corporate goals and strategies. Many companies recognize the importance of workplace culture and employees in achieving missions and objectives, and human resources is the conduit to bringing employees and corporate goals and strategies together. As such, measuring performance of HR systems and methods is vital. For instance, tracking performance of employees related to their training and development helps with improvement and evolution of training programs.